The quarterback lineage at St. Bernard’s has already established some deep roots in the short time that Matt Tomlin has been the head coach for the Crusaders. In 2013, senior Patrick Allen and then-junior Noah Davis split time at the position, combining for 24 touchdowns through the air and 10 more on the ground. That was only a small glimpse of what was to come.
Davis cemented his own legacy the next year, throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns, as the Crusaders went unbeaten in HDN play and advanced to the NCS Division V semifinals. Meanwhile, a sophomore by the name of Jack Rice waited in the wings and flourished as a multi-talented athlete, leading St. Bernard’s with 1,711 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns, to go with over 500 yards and five more scores on the ground.
Rice took over full-time in 2015, and St. Bernard’s reached unprecedented heights for the small private school in Eureka. As a junior, Rice accounted for over 5,100 yards and 61 touchdowns from scrimmage, leading the Crusaders to another unbeaten run through the HDN, but this time adding NCS and CIF titles. He put up near-identical numbers in his senior year, as St. Bernard’s again cruised through HDN play, and reached the NCS Division IV title game, having been promoted after the section’s competitive equity laws came into effect.
If teams, players, and coaches across the section thought St. Bernard’s was going to take a step back in 2017, that was only because they did not know about senior TJ Campbell, or Tomlin’s ability to reload at the quarterback position.
Through six games this season, Campbell has completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,227 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also leads the team in rushing with 297 yards, though don’t confuse him with Rice, who was a true dual-threat on every snap. While Campbell can run the ball, he highly prefers to use his arm as the primary weapon against opposing defenses.
“He has a gunslinger mentality. There isn’t a throw on the field that he won’t try to make,” Tomlin said. “Combine that with the fact he is a 3.9 (GPA) student. He knows where the ball needs to go.”
While Campbell’s overall numbers do sound gaudy, averaging 371 yards per game through the air, it is the last two weeks which have really grabbed attention. In the last two games, Campbell has basically played just five quarters total. In those five quarters, facing Hoopa Valley and Little 3 rival Ferndale – the last time other than St. Bernard’s to win a division title – Campbell has thrown for 845 yards and 15 touchdowns. Once again, that is in five quarters of action.
Part of what makes Campbell so dangerous is the deep cast of receivers at his disposal. This past summer, the Crusaders ventured down to the East Bay Area for a 7-on-7 tournament at Pittsburg High. And while no one is insinuating that any results from a passing tournament would equate to regular-season wins with linemen and pads on, the level of talent up north was evident to the rest of Northern California, especially senior receiver Micha Fontenot-Cornely, who dominated virtually every one-on-one matchup then, and has continued to do so this season.
Fontenot-Cornely, the former Prep2Prep NCS Freshman of the Year, is off to a strong start in his senior campaign, leading the team with 48 catches for 714 yards and nine touchdowns. In the Crusaders’ biggest test of the year to-date, a come-from-behind win over Moreau Catholic, Fontenot-Cornely had 10 catches for 146 yards while matched up against Division I recruit LJ Anderson. And he is far from the only weapon in the St. Bernard’s arsenal.
“Bryce (Gratz) has been amazing this season, and Micha would be the number one guy for any program,” Tomlin commented. “Diego (Perez) is also having an excellent year, and Luke Fairfield put in a lot of work over the off-season and it is really showing. We also have three of four other guys who we feel could be starting for any other team.”
Even senior running back and linebacker Garrison Roach has shown his versatility, rushing for a team-high six touchdowns, but also showcasing himself as a receiver in last week’s win over Ferndale, with six catches for 142 yards and two scores through the air.
Through the first six games, the Crusaders’ record is unblemished. This week features a big game at Arcata, with a rematch against Ferndale in two weeks. The regular season concludes down in Los Angeles, against Locke, who is currently 4-2. That game replaces what had been a scheduled contest with McKinleyville, who has forfeited all remaining games.
After that, St. Bernard’s will turn its attention to the post-season, where it is a likely bet to receive the top seed in Division IV. With last year’s champion, Cardinal Newman, moved up to Division III, the Crusaders figure to have a strong shot at finishing on top this year. And if they do, Campbell will join Rice in St. Bernard’s lore as a section winning signal-caller.
Dealing with devastation
While the multiple fires continue to burn across the Redwood Empire, and Wine Country, games for this week have been cancelled, and rightfully so. One, or even more, weeks of football games are nothing compared to what the families in those regions are dealing with, simply figuring out where to proceed with life’s daily challenges.
So far, the North Bay League and Sonoma County League have cancelled all games this week, while Justin-Siena has also cancelled its game against Redwood.
“It’s really hard to describe what’s going on there. It’s like a war zone, with no real control over what’s happening with all those fires,” said Tomlin, who is a sheriff in Humboldt County and used to patrol the Santa Rosa corridor. “Those firefighters and police officers are doing everything they can, even while their own homes have burned to the ground.”
Depth is a good thing
Monte Vista sophomore quarterback Jack Stewardson had to miss last week’s game against Dougherty Valley due to injury. No problem for the Mustangs, though. In stepped senior Scott Chen, who had eight total pass attempts as a junior, playing behind Jake Haener and then-sophomore Logan Sumter, who is now at Clayton Valley.
Chen responded with what was easily the best game of his career, completing 9-of-13 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and added 25 more yards on the ground, as Monte Vista rolled to a 46-7 win.
Unbeaten watch
With Freedom’s loss to Pittsburg last Friday, just one unbeaten team remains in Division I, and that is San Ramon Valley. The Wolves are one of 10 unbeaten teams remaining across the NCS.
Division II does not have any unbeaten teams remaining, but five such schools remain in Division III, led by Marin Catholic and Rancho Cotate. Acalanes, Encinal, and Eureka are also unblemished.
Division IV features three unbeaten squads – St. Bernard’s, Harker, and Hercules – while St. Patrick-St. Vincent is the lone unbeaten teams remaining in Division V.
